Golden State Warriors lead Pacific Division

The Warriors are tops in the Pacific Division and tied with the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.

Let that sink in.

Sure, the season is only 15 games old. But the Warriors, who host Indiana on Saturday night, haven't had a record this good this deep into a season in six years.

Hesitant to relish? So are those in the Warriors locker room as they endeavor to balance the bubbliness of present success without losing sight of the main goal. Or, as veteran guard Jarrett Jack put it: "We haven't done (anything) yet."

"It's respectable," point guard Stephen Curry said of his team's record. "We can do a lot better. When you look at the games we've lost, we had a legit chance to make a couple plays and finish out a few of them. So we've got to learn from those, keep pushing and keep this pace."

Of course, winning games at a 60 percent clip for a season would put the Warriors at 49 or 50 wins. That's rare territory for this franchise. That's why despite the controversy surrounding center Andrew Bogut's ankle, and even though the team has obvious holes and flaws, people are feeling good about the Warriors.

Bogut has played in only four games, leaving the Warriors using power forward fill-ins at center. They lost a key component the second game of the season, as super sub Brandon Rush tore two ligaments in his left knee, including his ACL. They have three rookies in the rotation, two if them starting (forward Harrison Barnes and center Festus Ezeli). And eight of their first 15 games have been on the road.

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The adversity the Warriors have had to overcome makes being three games over .500 all the more impressive. That nine of the next 12 games are against teams at .500 of below -- including Indiana -- makes this next stretch even more promising.

The challenge now for the Warriors is keeping their edge.

"Every night for us is going to be a battle," coach Mark Jackson said. "I wish I could sit here and tell you we're good enough to just cruise. But every night, because of our youth, because of what we have to work with -- we're short-handed -- it's going to be a battle. And that's all right because we understand it.

"I don't know if anybody would have thought we'd be where we are," he added. "That being said, I don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. But I know that this team will never quit."

The Warriors announced Friday that rookie guard Kent Bazemore has been sent to the NBA Development League.

Bazemore, who totaled 10 minutes in six games, was in the lineup for the Santa Cruz Warriors' season opener at Reno on Friday. He scored 27 points in a 101-95 victory.

It is uncertain how long Bazemore will be with the D-League squad. Santa Cruz starts its season with seven road games.

Second-year big man Jeremy Tyler will spend time with the D-League team as well.

The Toronto Raptors waived McGuire, opening the door for his possible return. But Golden State's roster is full, which means someone would need to be cut to make room for him. Bazemore, an undrafted free agent on a nonguaranteed contract, is the obvious candidate. But the Warriors are not ready to sever ties with Bazemore, a source said.

A major factor, no doubt, is that the Warriors are slightly over the luxury tax threshold. They can still get under it with another move by the end of the season. One option is to waive Bazemore before his contract becomes guaranteed in January.

Swapping Bazemore for McGuire would put the Warriors even more into the tax. And Golden State doesn't have as urgent a need for McGuire, thanks to the play of rookie forward Draymond Green. Though not as athletic, he has been the defensive Swiss Army knife McGuire was last season.